by David Archer
The Arkansas countryside rolled past, and Noah thought that the colors of the leaves seemed a little brighter than they did back in Colorado. Highway 45 led him to Highway 412, and he cruised along at just a little over the speed limit until the GPS told him to turn north. He followed its directions for another half hour and suddenly found himself in the tourist town of Eureka Springs.
A right turn put him on Highway 62, and he followed the winding curves through the quaint little town that seemed to be trying to imitate something from the Swiss Alps. There were hotels, motels, and restaurants all along the road, along with dozens of obvious tourist traps, and he found himself feeling slightly relieved when he finally left the town behind him.
The road to Berryville was still pretty curvy, but at least it was open road. He noticed a couple of bed-and-breakfast places along the way, a motel that was specifically designed for bikers, and several antique and junk shops. One spot on the left had about two dozen antique cars in various states of decay, while another seemed to be nothing but a pile of salvaged building materials. Despite himself, Noah found himself thinking about coming to check those places out when he got a chance.
Suddenly the road widened and seemed to level out quite a bit, and he spotted the first sign indicating that he was coming into Berryville. He had put in Kate Madison’s address, so the GPS directed him all the way through town. He passed the big Walmart on the right, followed the turns that led to the town square, and then went another mile before he had to turn right to get to Pleasant Street.
He pulled up in front of Kate’s house, a little brick house on a dead-end street full of other brick houses. He stopped the car at the curb and shut it off, then stepped out and stretched.
“Rex?” A woman’s voice came from the side of the house, and he turned to get his first look at his “sister.”
Kate Madison was about five foot six and, as Sarah had said, rather chubby. She was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt and stood with her hands on her hips as she stared at him. Like Noah, her hair was blonde, but while his was short and neat, hers looked like she’d gotten it caught in a blender.
“Hey, sis,” Noah said. “You put on a little weight since I saw you last.”
Kate sneered at him. “Not that much,” she said. “Well, don’t just stand there. Get your stuff and come on in.” She turned and walked across the front of the house to the front door and went inside without bothering to see if he was following.
Noah leaned back into the car and grabbed his bag, then shut the door and locked the car up. He walked across the yard to the door and pushed it open without knocking. He stepped inside and glanced around as he closed the door behind him.
Kate was standing in the middle of the room, but now she was wearing a smile. “You didn’t have to make the wisecrack about my weight, you know,” she said. “It was definitely in character, though.” She looked him up and down. “Damn,” she said, “you really do look a lot like Rex. Sometimes I almost forget about him, but as much as he was a pain in my ass, I always loved the little jerk.”
Noah shot her a grin. “I figured if I’m supposed to be your annoying kid brother,” he said, “I should let any nosy neighbors catch on to that fact pretty quickly.”
Kate walked over and extended a hand. “Well, it’s good to finally meet you. I’ve been briefed, so I know what you’re really doing here, and while it seems a little extreme—well, I guess I can understand why the big guys think it’s necessary. I’ve been here going on three years, now, and nobody has been able to touch these people in all that time. Everyone who tries dies, so I can understand why they sent you in.”
Noah nodded. “Well, they seem to think I’ll be here quite a while. Any idea where I should start?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kate grinned and motioned for him to follow her, leading him into a small bedroom. There was a single bed in the room, along with a dresser and a small desk. “Start by settling yourself in here. This will be your room while you’re with me, but I understand that won’t be very long. According to my briefing, you’ve got a wife coming soon?”
“Yep,” Noah said. “Her name is Angie, and she’s bringing her little brother with her, too. He’s a tall, skinny computer nerd.”
Kate looked at him sideways. “And are they—are they like you?”
“Not exactly,” Noah said. “Angie really is my wife, and Neil is part of my team. He’s my intelligence specialist—that boy can do things with a computer that would amaze anybody.”
Kate nodded. “Okay, I just wondered. From here on out, we won’t ever discuss your mission unless you need to tell me something or ask any questions. It’s safe enough at the moment—I just scanned for bugs this morning—but we need to avoid any risks we can. Go ahead and unpack your stuff, while I put on some coffee. You do drink coffee, right?”
“Yes, and that would be welcome.” Noah dropped his bag on the bed and opened it, then started putting his clothes into the dresser. Everything he brought with him fit into the top drawer, and he set the empty bag on the floor beside the desk.
Kate was still standing in the doorway. “Well, that didn’t take long. Come on out to the kitchen.”
Noah followed her and sat down at the kitchen table while she busied herself with the coffee maker. “Nice little house,” he said. “What’s it like around here?”
“This is a pretty decent neighborhood,” Kate replied. “I guess the whole town is actually kind of nice, and you don’t really hear about a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. Morgan, as bad as he is, tends to keep the riffraff out of the area. I mean, don’t get me wrong, every town around here has its share of tweakers and drunks, but most of them are more afraid of Morgan than they are of the cops. Unless you get on his bad side, you can leave your door standing wide open while you’re gone for a week on vacation, and when you get back, everything will be just the way you left it. Morgan can’t stand thieves, unless they work for him. The last guy who broke into somebody’s house in Berryville was found beaten half to death out by the fairgrounds. That was a year and a half ago.”
“Well, I definitely hope to get on his good side. Any idea how I can do that?”
“A couple,” she said. “He hangs out most evenings at a bar over in Eureka, a place called the Barn. It’s a pretty decent club, live music and all that, so you should check it out. If you can get close enough to talk to him, make sure he gets a look at that car of yours. He loves cars, and he’s got quite a few of his own. I’m pretty sure that one will get his attention in a hurry, and if it’s as fast as it looks, he’s gonna want you for a buddy.”
“Okay, that’s one. You said a couple ideas. What else?”
The coffeepot was half-full, so Kate poured them each a cup and then let it finish filling. She set one in front of Noah and sat down across from him. “Well, if you’re as tough as you look, then you need to kick some ass. Hang out around him and wait for somebody to start trouble. If you can put a stop to it in a hurry, he’s going to start thinking you might be an asset. With your cover story, fresh out of prison and all that, you’re probably exactly the kind of man he’s looking for.”
Noah nodded. “I can handle most people,” he said. “Does trouble break out around him often?”
“Hah!” She laughed. “Jimmy Morgan is the kind of guy who likes to keep all the other alpha males close, where he can watch them. He’s big enough and tough enough to handle just about anybody, but every now and then there will be some rutting young buck with a few stupid buddies who decide they can make a move on him. When that happens, Jimmy’s boys all jump into the fray. He likes to sit back and watch the fight, and anybody who stands out by kicking a lot of ass suddenly finds himself being Morgan’s fair-haired boy for a while.”
“So, if I can put on a good show in a fight, that could get me in with him?”
“Not just could, it would. Like I said, he likes to keep the toughest guys close. If you can kick the snot out of a few others, he’s goin
g to want you right where he can watch you closely. That’ll give you the chance to convince him you might be executive material in his organization, and I’m guessing that’s part of your plan. Am I right?”
“Pretty close,” Noah said. “I don’t want to be his right-hand man, but I want to be somewhere close to that. I need to be able to move around inside his mob, get to know who all of the big players are. I’m supposed to take as many of them out as I can, but I have to do it all at once. I can’t leave enough standing that they can regroup and keep it together.”
Kate was sitting there looking at him, and suddenly she shivered. “My God, you say that so nonchalantly. I can’t imagine what it must be like to do what you do.”
Noah said nothing, and she finally looked away.
“So,” she said, “how do you want to proceed? Do you want me to try to introduce you to any of the locals, or just go out and meet them on your own?”
“We’re not supposed to be close, remember? I think we should maintain that act, keep a little hostility going between us until Angie gets here. The plan is for the two of you to become friends, and that’s supposed to loosen things up between you and me. Until then, we need to keep up appearances, so I don’t think you would be too eager to introduce your black-sheep brother to too many people.”
Kate shrugged, but she was grinning. “Makes sense, I guess. Still, we should probably let ourselves be seen together around town a bit. I’ll just make sure to be grumpy with you when you take me out to dinner, okay?”
“That’ll work. And speaking of that, since your brother just arrived, going out for dinner tonight would probably be in order. Any decent restaurants around here?”
“Not many, at least not here in Berryville. A lot of fast food, a Chinese place, and several Mexican joints. I’ve gotten pretty tired of tacos, to be honest. If you want anything decent, we need to either go to Eureka Springs or down to Harrison. Harrison is Boone County, and it’s not really part of Morgan’s territory. The sheriff there has played it smart and managed to keep most of Morgan’s people out.”
“Really? How did he manage that?”
Kate laughed for a moment, then got herself under control. “Nobody really knows for sure,” she said, “but the suspicion is that he uses some of Morgan’s own tactics against him. Jimmy tried several years ago to move into Boone, sent some people down there to muscle in. Funny thing, though, several of them never came back. A few were found floating in the river, a couple others turned up as piles of burnt bones. There is no proof the sheriff had anything to do with it, but it’s no secret that he and the local militia get along really, really well, if you get my drift.”
“You have militia groups around here?” Noah asked.
“Hey, this is the Ozarks,” Kate said. “This is the land of rednecks, and Harrison is just about the capital of the Ku Klux Klan nowadays. There are probably a half-dozen different militia groups within thirty miles of us right now. Most of them just sit around and complain about the government, don’t really do anything, but there are a lot of rumors about the two in Boone County. They seem to be pretty adamant about keeping the drug dealers and any kind of organized crime out, no matter what it takes.”
Noah nodded. “Sounds like the sheriff over there is smarter than the average bear. A properly managed militia group could probably do a lot to keep an area free from crime, provided the local law enforcement doesn’t try to lock them up for doing it.”
Kate winked. “And there you have the theory behind Boone County.” She took a sip from her coffee and gave a deep sigh. “Good thing you drink coffee,” she said after a moment, “or nobody would believe you’re my brother.”
Noah picked up his cup and guzzled it, then got up and poured another. “Tell me about yourself,” he said as he sat back down. “Who is Kate Madison, here in Berryville?”
“Well, when I first came here I went to work at the chicken plant, like just about everybody else. If you’re working undercover, the chicken plant is a good place to get to know a lot of people in a hurry. My cover is that I came here to get over a bad breakup, so if you hear me mention my ex-husband, just shake your head and pretend you’re sick of hearing about it. I told everybody that he used to beat me, so I finally got up the nerve to file for divorce and get away from him. Took back my maiden name and moved halfway across the country, and now I’m happily single and determined to stay that way.” She sighed again. “It’s about half-true. I really did have an abusive ex-husband, but I wouldn’t mind being married again someday, if I can find a decent guy. There are even a few of them around here, but I can’t risk getting involved with anyone, not anything serious. Sooner or later, they’d have to know what I’m really doing here, and I don’t trust anybody that far.” She looked up at Noah and shrugged. “So I deal with the occasional hookup and pretend that’s all I want. Maybe after you get done, I can finally get out of this place and stop living a lie.”
“So, where do you work now?” Noah asked.
“Oh, sorry, got sidetracked. I’m actually a radio personality. I’m the morning show on the local radio station. I do the news and weather, and run the Swap Shop program, where people call in and talk about stuff they want to sell or want to buy. I play some music now and then and pretend to be a DJ, but mostly I’m just the welcome voice of Berryville. I go in early, about 4:30 in the morning, and I’m usually home by one. It lets me stay on top of what’s happening around the area, and I’ve got half my day free for doing other things.” She winked at him again. “The radio station is online, now, so I even have a code I use to report some of the things I hear. Somebody back at Quantico has to listen to me every morning, just to see if I slip in something the home office needs to know about. Isn’t that cool?”
“It’s brilliant,” Noah said. “Your idea?”
“Sure was—I even made up the code we use. If there’s a murder that’s definitely attributable to Morgan and his people, for instance, I say my feet are killing me. Then I subject my listeners to my own terrible poetry for a minute or two, and the first letter of each line spells out the name of the victim, or gives some other tidbit of information about it. I've got a code for just about everything Morgan does, and nobody’s twigged to it yet.”
“Obviously,” Noah said. “You’re still alive. If Morgan ever figures it out, you won’t be.”
Kate grinned and saluted him with her coffee cup. “Which is why I really hope you manage to pull off your mission. Something tells me I’ll live longer if you do.”
“I understand Morgan has hooks into the local phone company, manages to monitor phone calls when he wants to. Is that true?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kate replied. “You absolutely do not want to discuss anything about your mission on the phone, not with anybody. In fact, if you need to get hold of me by phone to tell me to meet you somewhere, just call me up and say something about aches and pains. If you say your back is hurting, for instance, that’ll mean we need to meet at my place. If it’s your feet, that means I should drop by wherever you’re living at the time. We’ll come up with more ideas like that as time goes by.”
“Good idea. And if I call you up and say I’ve got a migraine, that will mean get your ass out of town as fast as you can because I’m about to light things up. Okay?”
Kate’s eyebrows were trying to call over the top of her head. “Boy, I can’t wait for that call. Be a shame to miss out on the fireworks, though.”
“I’d rather you miss out on the fireworks than get caught in the crossfire. Anybody who can stay in deep cover for three years is an agent we don’t want to lose. If I get a migraine, you get out of town, deal?”
“Okay, okay, no problem. Should I grab your wife on my way?”
“She wouldn’t go. Besides, she’s also part of my team. When the balloon goes out, she’ll probably be right in the middle of it with me.”
Kate nodded her understanding. “You know what I’d give to have a team? I’ve been out here all alone all this
time. Kinda nice to have someone I can actually talk to. Even if it is my annoying kid brother.” She chuckled.
Noah glanced at his phone and checked the time. “Speaking of your annoying kid brother,” Noah said, “it’s almost six o’clock. Ready to go get some dinner?”
“Sure,” Kate said. “Just let me go change into something more presentable, first.”
She got up and left the kitchen, and Noah called Sarah. Just like the night before, she answered on the very first ring.
“Rex? Baby, is that you?” Sarah asked, already in character.
“Hey, Angie,” Noah said. “Just wanted let you know I made it to Berryville. Me and sis have been catching up for the last hour or so, and we’re about to go grab a bite to eat. Just wanted to hear your voice. Everything okay back there?”
“Hell, no, it’s not okay. I miss you, baby, and the geek is driving me crazy. You know how he gets, sometimes. Can’t get him off the computer long enough for a decent conversation, and it gets boring just sitting around talking to myself.”
Noah chuckled. “Well, just hang in there. I’ll start looking for a house tomorrow morning. I looked on the newspaper website and there are quite a few available for rent, even more for sale. I might just buy one, not have to deal with all the landlord problems.”
“Mmm, house of our own? Baby, that would be great. Think we could find one out in the country somewhere? I’d love to put in a garden next spring.”
“I’ll bear that in mind, honey. Maybe I can find something. After my time in Beaumont, I don’t really like the idea of having neighbors all up in my business, anyway.”
“Neil says hi,” Sarah said. “At least, I think that’s what he said. He’s talking with food in his mouth again.”
“He’s always shoving food in his mouth. Tell him hi for me, and tell him I said to get off the computer and spend some time with his sister.”